BBC News: Small drone 'shot with Patriot missile'

Can you get a radar lock on a Phantom or equivalent?

Depends on the radar.

Certainly a high power, high frequency radar would have little issue because there is no clutter to confuse the issue. Patriot has to track fast moving, relatively small missiles at high altitudes.

It has a G/H band radar meaning 4 - 8 GHz. The upper end of that f range would easily detect the metal parts of a phantom sized drone probably to well over 10 km.
 
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Now having been deeply involved in GW1 ... I can say that I love the General for bull******g !!

I saw more damage from faulty Patriots than any Scud ever did ... I was also there when the Patriot killed US Reservists - which USA denied ever happened - claiming a Scud did it ...

Before anyone jumps on me - I know the Patriot underwent serious modifications after GW1 to correct the faults ... but having also been involved in later conflicts - I can honestly say ... it still aint right yet !!

Nothing like selling is there !!

Anyway ... beware your Phantoms ... Patriots are out to kill you !!

Nigel
 
The article as well as the news reported small recreational quad copters (Drones) are being used in Iraq. Allegedly by ISIS. And they're not being used for recreational purposes. From the last news reports 39 people so far, have been killed by them.
 
The article as well as the news reported small recreational quad copters (Drones) are being used in Iraq. Allegedly by ISIS. And they're not being used for recreational purposes. From the last news reports 39 people so far, have been killed by them.

Indeed. And using a $3M missile to kill a $300 drone is a pretty good deal for the bad guys too!
 
Depends on the radar.

Certainly a high power, high frequency radar would have little issue because there is no clutter to confuse the issue. Patriot has to track fast moving, relatively small missiles at high altitudes.

It has a G/H band radar meaning 4 - 8 GHz. The upper end of that f range would easily detect the metal parts of a phantom sized drone probably to well over 10 km.
Relatively small, yes. But the only metal parts of any size in a, for example, phantom, is the gimbal. Not much of a return on which to lock and track. And as you said, they are designed to track small, fast moving, targets. The signal from a small sUAS in hover would likely not get through the Doppler filter. Sounds to me like the old staged events that SDIO used to put on of their 'Star Wars' tech.
 
Radar detection does not require only metal .... any hard reflective surface and even a wet sail on a yacht reflects radar.

But trying to determine a small drone when atmospherics and all other items are being picked up ?

Nigel
 
:smilingimp:
Relatively small, yes. But the only metal parts of any size in a, for example, phantom, is the gimbal. Not much of a return on which to lock and track. And as you said, they are designed to track small, fast moving, targets. The signal from a small sUAS in hover would likely not get through the Doppler filter. Sounds to me like the old staged events that SDIO used to put on of their 'Star Wars' tech.

Excellent points - esp. the Doppler even for a drone moving at max speed. The smallness of the parts at shortish range probably wouldn't matter - lot's of sharp inside corners to make a reflector.
 
Radar detection does not require only metal .... any hard reflective surface and even a wet sail on a yacht reflects radar.

But trying to determine a small drone when atmospherics and all other items are being picked up ?

Nigel

Water on a sail is a good reflector at these lowish freqs, but plastic at 4-8 GHz is pretty transparent. It may "lens" the signal a bit, but not reflect much. There's enough metal in there and sharp angles to return a chunk. But as RichardR correctly points out, the speed of a cheap(ish) drone would be well inside the Doppler speed gate. If that filter were off, the Patriot radar would have more targets than it could handle.
 
Whom ever gave a go for that was not present the day the brains were handed out! I saw $3m per shot! WTF, if they are scared of incoming toy drone, for the cost of a few missiles they should get a phalanx gun that shoots 20mm rounds and get to shoot another day. It's like hammering a finishing nail with a pile driver. Sound to me like propaganda to enforce the fear that drones' are evil. The paranoids should try to remember that some terrorist have missile launchers also.
 

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